The Winchester Brothers
by ImObviouslyCrazy
Summary: Candace Morgan was left alone after her boyfriend, Sam Winchester jumped into Lucifer's cage to stop the apocalypse. Dean knew that he had to take care of her for Sam. He left Lisa's house and dragged Candy back onto the road with him. Overtime, their feelings for each other grow until they can't be ignore. Then, somehow, Sam comes home, and their world is flipped upside down.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue:

Candace Morgan wasn't there when the man she loved sacrificed himself to save the world. After overcoming Lucifer, Sam Winchester tackled his possessed brother into the cage that Lucifer came from, stopping the apocalypse and saving the world. Candace, who went by the name Candy, was behind the bar working as she usually did. It was late when Sam's brother Dean came through the door. Candy smiled at him, but her smile soon faded when she saw the water pooling in the bottom of Dean's eyes. Immediately understanding the situation, Candy collapsed to the floor in tears. Dean just stood there awkwardly, fighting back his own tears.

After that, Dean went to Lisa's house, a woman that Dean had been with years before. Candy was lost without the Winchester brothers. She had been tagging along with them for so long that she no longer had a home to return to. Her family had long since moved on and away from the town that she had grown up in, and she knew that she needed to find a way back to Dean and the beautiful Impala they had spent so much time in. Although Dean and Candy had never been really close, even Dean knew that he could not stay with Lisa forever. As long as Candy was out there, Dean needed to take care of her. It was what Sam wanted him to do.

Dean left Lisa a week after he arrived at her house. He returned to the bar that he had last seen Candy at, and fortunately, she was still there. For the first time since Dean had walked into the bar with tears in his eyes, Candy smiled. She practically ripped her apron from around her waist and leapt over the bar to rush to Dean. She threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly. She had been so scared on her own. After all, she had almost no money, and had been staying in the back room of the bar at night. Once Dean showed up, she knew that she didn't have to be scared anymore.

They hit the road again. Dean wanted to keep working cases to try and distract himself from the loss of his brother. But it was difficult. At night, Dean would lay awake in his bed, listening to Candy quietly sobbing from her own bed. At first, he left her alone, but after a few weeks of hearing the anguish in her sobs, Dean finally got up from his bed and walked to hers. He peeled back the covers carefully and laid beside her. Candy rolled over to face him, and after the initial confusion, Candy gave in and curled against Dean's side. He wrapped his arms around her, and for once, they both found a sliver of comfort.

After that night, the two began to see eachother differently. Sam had taught Candy most of what he knew, so Candy began following Dean on cases. They worked together to salt and burn bones, as well as exorcise demons. Dean became overprotective of Candy, and then he began to sleep in her bed nightly. At first, it was because he thought it was safer. However, after awhile, they both knew that it just felt right. Dean began to see Candy as a woman, and not as Sam's little girlfriend. He became attracted to her petite stature and small face. He found himself staring at her light pink lips and her bright green eyes. At night, sometimes, Dean would run his fingers through her thick, curly scarlet-red hair that fell over her face.

Candy was beginning to see Dean in a new light, as well. She began to admire his tight jaw and toned arm muscles. When Dean would step out of the bathroom without a shirt on, Candy would become flustered by his muscular chest and abdomen. She would ruffle his short brown hair lovingly after they successfully completed a case, although she knew that he absolutely hated it. Neither of them would admit that they were falling for one another. Candy knew that the feeling in her chest when she looked at Dean was the same feeling she used to get with Sam. She knew that it was love, but she refused to act on it. Dean knew as well. With Candy around, Dean couldn't look at other girls the same way. He couldn't pursue anyone or take them back to his hotel room.

Eventually, Dean began to crave Candy. When she would get up at night to get water, Dean would stare at the curves of her flawless bare legs, following them up with his eyes until he reached the hem of the tee shirt she had on. One night, after Candy had gotten into the shower, Dean had reached his breaking point. He undressed himself, then went into the bathroom. Candy called his name in confusion, slightly afraid for a moment. Her fear vanished once Dean stepped into the shower behind her. She turned to him, and for a moment, she thought of Sam. It had been nearly a year since he had gone away, and Candy and Dean were only just then getting back to some form of normalcy. Then Dean reached out and touched her face gently. He tilted her head upwards, then leaned down and pressed his gorgeous lips to hers.

Candy gave in almost instantly. She wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him down further, deepening the kiss. Dean spun her around and away from the water streaming down on them. He backed her into the wall, never pulling his lips away from hers. His hands held her face firmly.

"I need you," he told her between kisses. He reached down and pulled her legs off the ground, pressing her back into the wall so that it was easier to hold her up. They both knew that there was no stopping at that point; they gave into their desires, and they made love. Starting in the shower, then moving to the bed soon after. It was beautiful and passionate. Heated and intense. Candy felt awful thinking it, but making love to Dean was like nothing she had ever felt before with Sam. There was more passion and desire than the immediate gratification there was with Sam. After that night, it was impossible to ignore those feelings anymore. Candy and Dean were now bound together by both love and intimacy.

Things began to feel right again, even without Sam with them. Soon, however, things would change, and the world that Dean and Candy had grown accustomed to would be changed dramatically. Someone was returning. Someone who had been gone for a long time, but never stopped watching them. Sam was coming home.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1:

Dean woke up before Candy did, and he instantly realized his arm was numb, trapped under Candy's waist. For a moment, he just stared down at her. He wasn't sure if he wanted to wake her or not. Of course, they were working a rather confusing case, and more research needed to be done. However, it was always hard for Dean to bring himself to wake her up in the mornings. She looked beautiful to him while she was sleeping. Lord knew she needed as much as she could get. Luckily, Candy woke up on her own.

"Good morning," he smiled down at her. Her bright green eyes fluttered for a moment, then looked up at him lovingly. She didn't say anything, but that was typical of Candy when she first woke up. "We have to be out of here by noon tomorrow, so... we need to wrap this case up today. Do you want the shower first?" Candy nodded and sulked out of bed. Dean admired her as she made her way to the bathroom in only her underwear. Dean climbed out of bed once the bathroom door closed, and he pulled on his jeans groggily.

He waited patiently for Candy to get out of the shower. Once she did, Dean finished getting ready, and they headed into town to meet with the woman who had information on the hive of vampires they had been searching for. Candy woke up eventually. She finally began talking, so Dean let her lead the interview.

The woman had been attacked and chased by a man with a row of sharp teeth protruding from his gums. She was chased into the road where a car picked her up before he could reach her. The car took her to the police station, and she gave her report. Dean and Candy were posing as FBI, and asked her to report to them as well. She told them where she was attacked, and every detail she could remember of the incident. They wrapped it up quickly, then headed for the old barn that she had been walking near.

"So when am I going to get my own gun?" Candy asked Dean as they drove. Dean looked over at her and chuckled,

"If I ever get around to teaching you how to use one."

"It can't be that hard," Candy protested. "Come on, I need a gun. Maybe a shot gun. I don't care, but you have a ton of them in your trunk, and I think it's about time you let me use one." Her hand drifted over and rested on Dean's thigh, rubbing gently. "Please, baby... I'll make it worth your while. I promise you that much."

"You're not going to seduce me into letting you use one of my guns," Dean grinned. "I mean... as difficult as it is to say no to that face you're making right now, I have to. You've never handled a gun before. Stick to knives. They're more your thing. You're good with them."

"I'm not denying that, but I do think I should be good with a variety of weapons. Like you." She smiled up at him. Dean was really bad at saying no to Candy, especially when she bat her eyes at him and smiled the way she was right then. It made his resistance melt away.

"Fine. I'll take you to the gun range after this case, okay? Just... for now, stick to a blade. It's easy to take a bloodsucker's head off with a blade," Dean gave in. He reached forward and turned on the radio. "I think it'll be good for you to be good with different weapons, too. I can't let anything happen to you, so the better you can defend yourself the safer you'll be. The better I'll feel about dragging you along. We've lost a lot of people being a part of this life and..."

"And you don't want to lose me to the job," she finished his sentence for him. "Yes, Dean, I know. You tell me that all the time, babe, I got it. Sam lost Jessica, and you both lost your mom and everyone else... I know all the stories and all the people you lost. And now Sam..." She stopped. Neither of them wanted to talk about it, and she knew that. So she quieted herself. "You won't lose me, Dean. I promise. I'll always be here."

"Well, I want you here alive and not dead. I can't hold a ghost, Candy," he said, a little more serious than he was before. He turned down a ragged dirt road, muttering something about the dirt that was going to get on the Impala.

"Don't worry about it. I'll wash it for you," she winked at Dean, causing his face to flush slightly. He knew the kind of image that she was trying and succeeding to putting in his head. "How many vamps are there supposed to be in this nest anyways?"

"Well, Bobby said there have been numerous attacks in this area over a span of twelve years, so... There's a good chance there's more than two," Dean told her. "If you're scared and you want me to take you back to the motel, I will."

"When have I ever been scared before? After the first haunting case we did," Candy trailed off. She thought about the first ghost that she had ever had to hunt with Dean. It was a woman who had been killed by her adulterous husband, and she was terrifying to look at. Candy spent more time running and hiding from her than actually trying to help Dean destroy her. It was something she was ashamed of, but she was also able to laugh about it.

At the end of the road, there was a run down old barn that looked exactly like what a building left untouched for twelve years would look like. Candy was starting to get the typical prebattle jitters that she always felt before they entered a nest. More than likely there would be multiple vamps inside that Dean would take down almost completely on his own. She knew that she wasn't good for much, but she always worked at it so she could get better. All she wanted was to be more of an asset to Dean and not a burden.

Dean burst through the door first, gun drawn. As expected, there were four vampires in the barn. Two were up in the loft, and two more were down on the ground. Dean rushed forward, jabbing a syringe full of dead man's blood into the shoulder of one vamp while slicing the head off of the other. Candy watched in amazement as Dean finished off the other vampire soon after. It was always amazing to see Dean in action, and Candy hated to admit that she found it incredibly attractive.

Unfortunately, the two vamps in the loft moved too quickly, and they were down on the ground between Dean and Candy. One of them rushed Dean, while the other ran at Candy. Remembering all of her training, Candy pulled her blade from its holster at her hip and drove it upwards through the vamps bottom jaw, forcing its jaws closed. She used her to foot to kick it away, then leapt on top of it. She jabbed her knife into its neck and turned it until she separated the vampire's head from its body. When she stood, Dean was behind her. He had taken care of the other vampire with absolute ease, and was rushing to Candy to make sure she was okay. Candy turned to face him, blood splattering her pale cheeks. Her eyes were wide and a little frightened, so Dean did what he always did after they solved a case.

He reached up and rested his hand on her cheek gently, attempting to wipe the blood away with his thumb. Then he leaned down to kiss her gently. After a moment, he pulled away and rested his forehead against hers.

"You okay?" He asked her after taking a step back. He looked her over, and sighed in relief when he realized she had not been injured by the vamp. She nodded to reassure him anyways, then curled her arm around his so they could make their way back to the Impala. Once there, Dean started up the car and pulled away from the barn. The case was solved, which meant they would hit the road again the next morning. For the night, however, he intended to celebrate the best way he knew how. By being with Candy. Drinking, most likely.

Drinking is exactly what they did. Dean had a few beers, while Candy downed a few shots to get a good buzz. She was just drunk enough to swing her hips along to REO Speedwagon in one of Dean's old flannels. Dean sat and watched her for awhile, reminding himself of how much he really cared about the girl in front of him with the fiery curls bouncing around as she moved.

Then, after a moment, he reached out and took her by the hand. He pulled her to him then down onto the bed beside him. Leaning on his elbow, he slowly unbuttoned the flannel she was wearing, revealing a lacy black bra underneath. She arched her back a little and rolled over with a light grunt of disapproval.

"Just hold me, Dean. Keep me warm," she pleaded, childishly sticking out her bottom lip. Unable to say no, Dean wrapped his arms around her. He pulled the covers up over them and held her against his chest. After kissing her lightly on he forehead, he settled down beside her to go to sleep. It wasn't long before he drifted off.

Sometime in the middle of the night, there was a series of knocks on the door that startled Dean out of sleep. He carefully crawled out from under Candy's arm, making sure that he didn't wake her. Luckily, she just groaned and rolled over onto her back. Dean scurried to the door, gun in hand, then pulled it open. The gun Dean was holding behind his back dropped to the floor, and Dean's heart stopped for a moment inside of his chest.

On the other side, Sam was leaning against the door frame, looking up at Dean with teary eyes. Dean took a deep breath, then raised his gun at Sam.

"What are you?" He whispered.

"Dean, it's really me. Look," Sam panted, pulling a silver blade from the back of his jeans and dragging it across his arm. Next, he pulled out a plastic bottle and took a sip from it. "I'm not possessed and I'm not a shapeshifter. It's really me, Dean... I'm back."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I should have mentioned this sooner... The story takes place after Sam jumped into the cage with Michael. But all the events after are different. Mainly because I wasn't a huge fan of soulless Sam, and also because Candy's involved, and I figured... might as well take the story somewhere else. Also, warning, just a bit of mature content in this chapter... Alright, I'm done :) Thanks for reading!**

Chapter 2:

Dean rushed forward and hugged his brother tightly. There was a lump forming in Dean's throat, but he refused to cry. He had to be strong like always. However, being reunited with his brother was, as always, causing tears to form in his bottom eyelids. He closed his eyes and let a single tear slide down his cheek.

After a moment, Sam pulled back and looked past Dean into the motel room. He noticed that one of the beds was made up as if it hadn't been used at all. Dean could tell that Sam was looking for Candy, and he knew that when Same realized what was happening, he might be taking a punch to the jaw. Dean could handle it. It wasn't the first time Sam had ever hit him before. What hurt Dean was that he now felt as if he had betrayed his brother by being with Candy.

It didn't take long for Sam to understand. Nevertheless, he stepped further into the room, pushing past Dean, and finally saw the girl he had loved so much laying in the bed. She was sleeping in one of Dean's flannels, but it was opened, and her bra was showing. Not only had they been sleeping in the same bed, but, as Sam feared, they had been putting it to use. Sam silently backed out of the room, pulling Dean out with him. After he closed the door, he threw a punch at Dean. Dean was anticipating it though, and he ducked swiftly to avoid it.

"Sam, listen to me!" Dean pleaded with his brother. "Stop for a second and listen." Sam threw another punch, and this one made contact with Dean's jaw.

"What the hell, Dean?!" Sam snapped. The joy of the reunion was cut short by the fury that built up in Sam as he realized what had happened in his absence. "You could have anyone else! Why did it have to be Candy?! _My _Candy!" Sam brought his hands up to his head, pain rushing through him and mixing with the fury he felt. "How could you do this?"

"You were gone, Sammy," Dean tried to explain. "You told me to take care of her, so I did. I left... I went to Lisa's, man, but... Candy didn't have anyone, so I went back for her. We've been together for so long, and it just... We turned to one another for comfort..."

"You can comfort her without having sex with her, Dean!" Sam yelled. "She was everything to me, Dean! She's more than just another lay."

"I know she is, Sammy. That's not what it's about, I promise," Dean took a deep breath. Both brothers were beginning to calm down, but the hurt that Sam was feeling had not gone away. It was still eating away inside of him. "Look, man, I love her. She's... She's perfect. I couldn't help but fall for her. We've been on the road for a year."

"She was my girl, Dean. You shouldn't have gotten that close to her...," Sam frowned. "I missed you. I missed both of you so much. I was trapped in that cage, being tortured by Lucifer... Thinking that I had to get back to her, and to you. Then, somehow, I get out. I wake up in the middle of a field with no idea how I got there, and I have another chance. I track you down, only to find out you've been sleeping with Candy."

"We missed you, too. She was devastated, Sammy. We both were. She sat up every night crying, holding your jacket against her chest and begging Cas to bring you back like he did me," Dean told him. "You have to understand... We were all we had."

"No... You don't do that, Dean. We're brothers. I just... I understand, Dean, but I still love her. What happens now?" Sam leaned back against the wall. "She loves you now..."

"Look... I'm sure she'll be more than happy to run back to you. Just.. give me the night with her. Please. Let me talk to her." Dean was practically begging Sam at that point, so Sam reluctantly agreed. "You look tired, Sammy. Here." Dean pulled out his wallet and handed Sam all of the cash that was inside. "Get yourself a room and get some rest... In the morning, we'll all meet up and you can tell us everything you remember. We'll figure out what happened to you."

"I really did miss you, Dean," Sam added one more time before turning away from his brother. "I knew I had to get back to you. I thought you would have been losing it..."

"I did lose it, Sam," Dean sighed, "but then I found her."

After Sam left, Dean headed back into the room. The sound of the door closing woke Candy, and she sat up in confusion. She rubbed her eyes tiredly, then looked up at Dean questioningly. Dean didn't say anything. Instead, he crawled over her in the bed, pinning her beneath him. Candy watched him with an expression of wonder as he sat up and gently slid her underwear down her legs. Immediately after, he unbuttoned his jeans and took them off quickly.

"Dean," she finally spoke, "what's going on?"

"Shh," he whispered, brushing her bangs out of her face. "I just need to feel you again. One last time." He pulled her knees up so that they were against his sides. Candy put her hands on his chest and pushed slightly,

"Wait, stop... What do you mean 'one last time'?" Her expression of wonder had turned into one of worry. Dean leaned down to kiss her passionately before proceeding to push into her. Candy couldn't speak anymore. All she could do was focus on how good it felt to be with Dean in that way again. She couldn't help but notice that this time was different than the others. Dean was moving slowly, and running his hands over every inch of her with a tenderness he never used before. It was as if he just wanted to feel her skin underneath his fingertips.

After it was over, they laid together in the bed. Candy was laying on Dean's firm chest, tracing his tattoo with her finger gently. Dean was silent, rubbing Candy's back lovingly, but she still felt uneasy. The romantic and passionate intimacy they shared moments before had distracted her from his odd behavior, but once it was over, it became obvious again.

"Dean, what's wrong?" She asked him. "Are you okay?"

"I have something to tell you, and I'm scared to say it," Dean muttered. "I just want to lay here with you, touch you. I don't know if I'll be able to do it again. I needed to be with you..."

"What is it? Why would it be the last time, Dean?" Candy sat up and looked down at him nervously. "Tell me. Please."

"Sam's back, Candy. He just showed up at the door, and I did the tests... It's really him," he explained. "I hugged him because I was so happy to see him, but he was looking for you, too. He saw you in bed... In my shirt. I had to tell him the truth, but he already knew we had been together. He could tell... He was so mad at me, and I feel like shit."

"That's not possible," Candy shook her head. "Sam can't be back, Dean. There's no way that he's back. He jumped into the cage! You told me he was in the cage with Lucifer and Michael!"

"He was. Someone pulled him out of the cage. I have no idea how, but... Sammy's back. My little brother is back, and I might have ruined our relationship already. But... What's worse is I don't regret any of it," Dean admitted shamefully. "All I could think while he was yelling at me was... I'm not ready to lose you, Candy. If you want to go back to him, I understand, but... I'm not going to be able to change how I think about you now. It just isn't possible."

"Dean... this changes a lot of things, but not how I feel about you," Candy told him, running her hand over his chest. "I don't know what's going to happen. I love you both so much, but... I don't love Sam like I love you anymore. I can't just make this past year go away. It happened. We happened. There's no taking it back."

"I wouldn't even if I could... In all the years I've been on the road, and out of all of the girls I've been with, I've never needed someone so much. Before you, I expected to be alone. I knew one day Sam would find a girl and leave me to do the dirty work on my own. I would have never thought that I'd be dragging one along with me. Especially some bartender Sam fell for a long time ago." Dean laughed a little, "Remember when you first met me? And I tried to hit on you, but you just thought I was some drunk asshole trying to get laid. Well, I mean... I was. Then Sam came in, and you two talked for hours while I shot pool and hussled some dumb bikers out of two hundred dollars. And when the time came to leave, he just couldn't leave without you. He'd only known you for three days, and he was like... addicted to you. I didn't get it."

"Because you only used women for sex," Candy reminded him with a frown. "That's why you didn't get it."

"That's true. But then I went to Lisa, because I didn't have anywhere to go when we lost Sammy. She tried to help, but... I felt lost. I didn't have my little brother. I knew that he wanted me to take care of you, so I went back for you. And... after awhile together, I started to understand why he had to take you with us, why he just couldn't leave you. There's something about you. You're stubborn and strong. Beautiful and brave and everything else that I could ever ask for. And even now, when I know the right thing to do would be to let you go back to Sam, I can't. Because I know that... seeing you with him would hurt like hell." After he finished talking, Dean was silent for a long time. Candy couldn't find the right words to tell Dean not to worry. That she wasn't going anywhere. The problem was, Candy didn't know what the hell she was going to do.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3:

Sam sat on on the edge of his bed, covering his face with his hands. Memories of the torture he suffered through in the cage run through his mind on repeat. It felt a if every cut, every burn Lucifer inflicted on him was still itching on his skin. Just when it felt like he was being consumed by fire all over again, a knock on the door caught his attention and freed him from his thoughts. He stood up, swaying a little from a dizzying headache. After taking a moment to steady himself, he pulled open the door. On the other side was Candy, her curls pulled back into a bun except for her bangs that fell in her face. She was everything he remembered her to be. Much smaller than him and beautiful in every way.

"Sam," she smiled nervously. "Dean told me what room you were in, and I wanted to come see you alone. Can I come in?" For a moment, Sam just stood there, looking at the girl he loved with an ache in his chest. Then, he stepped to the side and let her in. "Dean's packing everything up now. We're going to be ready to leave soon, and we want you to come along again. I'll even let you take back your place in the front seat," she laughed half-heartedly.

"Candy," Sam sighed, closing the door to his motel room. He paused, and stared at her for a moment. Then, before he could talk himself out of it, he rushed at her. His arms wrapped around her waist and hoisted her off of the ground. She let out a light _oomph _as he squeezed her against him tightly. Instinctively, her arms went around his neck, mostly to hold herself up, but also because she really wanted to hold Sam again. Just for the moment.

"I missed you, Sam. I really did. You don't know how much we both missed you," Candy said to him. Sam set her down carefully, then turned away. "I know what it must look like. What you must be feeling... It's not like that. Dean took care of me. He came back for me, and made sure I was okay and had everything I could ever need and... I'm sorry, Sam. I'm so sorry."

"It's alright. Just... Tell me. Do you love him?"

"Yes. I really do, Sam," Candy frowned. "But I still care about you. You and Dean are still family, and there's nothing he cares about more than you. Nothing." Sam whirled back around,

"Yes there is, Candy. He cares about _you_." He shook his head, "Look, there's more important things to talk about right now. I'll be ready in a minute. Then I'll go wherever with you two. Please. Just go."

"Sam..."

"Go, Candy," he said more sternly than before. Candy sucked in a breath, then she left just as Sam had asked her. She wanted to stay, and she wanted to tell Sam everything she used to say to him while he was gone. When she knew he couldn't really hear her. Except Sam didn't want to talk about it, which she completely understood. She couldn't imagine how he must have felt, coming back from the cage somehow and finding out that his brother and his girlfriend were together.

Dean looked up just as Candy came through the door. She looked distressed, but he figured it would be best not to ask her about the conversation between her and Sam. That was private and between them. Dean had no right to know; however, the jealous and insecure part of Dean wanted to know exactly what was said between them. He wanted to know if they hugged, or if Sam had kissed her. There was a pit in his stomach that wasn't going to go away until he knew.

"How'd it go?" He finally talked himself into questioning her. Candy didn't seem at all bothered by the question and didn't flinch before answering.

"Not well. He picked me up and hugged me, but... I don't know. He doesn't want to talk about it. He's upset, and he's sad. He seemed to be hurting physically, too, but Sam said he was going to get ready and come with us." She slid out of her jacket. "I want to know how the hell he got out of that cage, Dean. I don't understand. You said when you came back from hell that it was Castiel that brought you back. Do you think he heard us praying? You think Cas brought Sam back?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen or heard from that feathery son-of-a-bitch in a long time, Candy. Maybe he heard us, but I can't be sure unless I talk to him," Dean shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "Look. We'll sit down with Sam somewhere and talk about it. We gotta head out to the next case soon before anybody else dies."

"Where's that at?"

"Arcadia. It's in Louisiana. There's an antique shop there and its customers are getting more than they bargained for. There's three recorded deaths so far, all unexplained. It's not far. We'll stop along the way to eat. We can talk about things then." Dean zipped up the last suitcase. "You ready to go, Candy?"

"Do you really think we should be dragging Sam into another job already? He just got back, Dean," Candy reminded him with an unnervingly high level of concern. "Look, I'm not saying we don't go, I'm just saying maybe Sam should sit out of this one. Get some rest, you know."

"I don't disagree with you. I just... I don't want to slow down. We've been working jobs back to back, and it feels good to be making a difference." Dean grabbed their suitcases in both hands and hauled them out of the room. Candy threw up her arms in frustration, then helped carry more things out to the Impala. Typically, the more stressed out Dean was, the quicker he worked through cases. Sometimes it would be hard to Candy to keep up, and Dean would become distant. That was the only thing Candy couldn't stand. She needed him.

Once Dean and Candy packed up the Impala, Candy headed back down to where Sam had been staying. Oddly, Sam's door was cracked open. Candy was sure she had closed it. Moving cautiously, Candy crept into the room, her hand on the knife holster at her side. It didn't take long for her to realize Sam had packed up and bailed before they went back for him. She had no idea why or where we was going to go, but she knew that they would have to find him.

She rushed back to Dean to tell him the bad news. Dean's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything in response. Instead, he just finished packing their things into the back seats as if she had said nothing to him at all.

"Dean, we have to go find him," she pleaded. "Sam doesn't need to be out on his own anymore and we have to find out what the hell happened." Dean ignored her plea, and instead ordered her to get into the car in a tone that was a little too harsh for Candy. Without saying anything else, Candy obeyed Dean, and they sped off from the motel parking lot.

Just like Dean had said before, it didn't take long for them to reach Arcadia. The town was small and seemed to be business oriented, but there was also a good bit of history to the area. The town had more than one antique shop, but they found the right one before too long. They decided to wait until morning to visit the store, so they found a motel to stay at for the night as usual. Dean was silent the entire time they were unpacking the car, and it made Candy nervous. The only time Dean was ever that quiet was when he was upset or jealous. To avoid being snapped at, Candy remained equally silent. She didn't speak until they were getting ready to settle down for the night.

"Hey, Dean," Candy called to him, flopping down on the bed. He emerged from the bathroom with a toothbrush protruding from his mouth. "What do we do now?" Dean leaned back into the bathroom to spit into the sink, then washed his toothbrush off in the sink. He came back out after a minute and pulled his shirt over his head. "Dean... Can we please talk now? I hate when you won't talk to me... Makes me worry."

"You don't have anything to worry about, Candy," Dean sighed, crawling into bed beside her. "I promise. You're going to be fine. We'll find Sammy, or he'll find us. He's my brother... I know I should go after him, but at the same time, I keep hoping he has a damn good reason for ditching us right after he came back. I'm going to call Bobby in the morning and see if that's where Sam's heading. If not, maybe he could track him."

"We should be out there looking for him. Not here in this little town tracking down some haunted antiques," Candy grumbled. Dean rolled onto his side and rested his head on his hand.

"We don't know they're haunted."

"Isn't it usually a haunting if it involves something old like antiques. Dean, I'm just saying... This case isn't more important than Sam."

"Believe me, no one knows that more than I do, but... I'm not gonna push Sam into anything. I think he has the right to make his own decisions. How fair is it of us to drag him along? We couldn't stay in the same hotel room. I know that if the roles were reversed... It would hurt like hell to see you two together all the time. It would hurt for awhile," Dean told her.

"I'm hungry," Candy said suddenly, jolting up out of the bed. "I'm going to run to the snack machine really quick, okay? I'll be right back." She snatched up her purse from the counter and threw it over her shoulder.

"Alright. Be careful."

"Always."

The crisp night air felt good on Candy's bared skin. She wasn't really that hungry, but she needed a reason to leave the room for a minute. The truth was that Candy really didn't want to be working some stupid case while Sam was somewhere alone. He had just come back from being locked in a cage with Lucifer and Michael, and Candy wanted to make sure he was alright. She knew Dean did, too, but Dean's guilt was forcing him to accept that Sam needed his space. Candy, on the other hand, didn't want to give Sam any space at all.

It was dark around the side of the building except for the lights radiating off of the snack and drink machines. Candy had to pull out her phone to use as a light to examine the buttons closely enough to read them. Using all the change she could find in the bottom of her purse, she purchased a bag of potato chips and a bottle of water. When she turned around to head back to the room, something hit her hard in the gut. She doubled over in pain, then collapsed to the ground, holding her stomach and groaning. Her purse slid off of her shoulder.

She expected her attacker to grab the purse from around her arm and take off running, but he didn't. Instead, he yanked her up by her hair and left her purse sitting on the ground. The attacker threw her back against the wall and put a cold silver blade against her throat. She looked up and saw that it was a man. He had messy blond hair and bright blue eyes. He was wearing a suit, which seemed unusual for someone hanging around a cheap motel.

"Where's Sam Winchester?" The man asked with a deep voice.

"I don't know who you're talking about," she lied instinctively. "If you want my money, take it. It's on the ground."

"I don't give a damn about your money. I want Sam Winchester. Now tell me where he is!" The man snapped at her angrily. "I know you know who he is, Candace. You were his little girlfriend before he jumped in with Lucifer. He had to have come back to see you. You know where he is, and if you don't tell me, I'm going to slit your throat."

"You must have the wrong red-head, Mister. I can't help you," she grunted, struggling to push the man off of her. "Now get off of me before I start yelling rape."

"You stupid girl." He pulled her off of the wall and threw her to the ground. Before she could get up again, he was sitting on her thighs, trying to force her flailing arms into submission. When she started to scream, the man covered her mouth with his hand. "Shut up. Don't make another sound." She quieted down after a minute. "If you tell me what you know about Sam Winchester, I'll let you live."

"Go to hell," Candy spat once he took his hand off of her mouth. "I don't know what you're talking about, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you anything, you piece of..." She was silenced by a painful backhand to her cheek. The man grabbed her face in his hand and forced her to look up at him again.

"Candace, tell me what you know."

"Eat me."

"Fine. If you don't want to talk..." The man pressed the blade against her wrist, "maybe I can make you squeal." He pierced her skin and dragged the knife horizontally across her arm. "If the Winchesters are anywhere around her, they'll come running to rescue their little pet." Candy bit her tongue, keeping her mouth closed to prevent her from screaming. She knew that if she made a sound, Dean would hear and come running into danger to save her, and she didn't want to risk his life to spare hers.

After failing to get the reaction he desired, the man placed the knife on the top of her breast. Then, he dug the tip of the knife into her skin. The longer she stayed silent, the deeper he stabbed the blade into her chest. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Candy opened her mouth and let out a loud, desperate scream.

"That's better," the man chuckled. "Louder, Candace." He pulled the knife from her chest and jabbed it into her shoulder. Once again, she cried out in pain, begging the man to stop. It wasn't long after she screamed that she heard footsteps running towards them.

"Get off of her, you bastard!" She heard Dean yell. There was a gunshot, then the man jumped to the side. He stood and faced Dean with a grin on his face.

"Where's your wayward brother, Dean?" the man asked curiously. "You must know where he is. Is he here with you two? Or did he leave you alone to take carry his baggage?" The snarkiness in his tone made Dean even angrier than he already was.

"What are you? An angel? A demon?" Dean questioned him.

"My name is Azreth. I'm an angel. Your brother is aiding the enemy, Dean, and it's my job to locate and destroy him. Now tell me where he is."

"Even if your job was to give him cupcakes and a massage, I wouldn't tell you anything," Dean grimaced. "Now get the hell out of here before I take your head off your shoulders."

"Oh, Dean. Always so quick to rush to the rescue. If I were you, I'd keep an eye on the girl. Because I'll definitely be around. I'm not going anywhere until I find your brother," Azreth chuckled. "I have a feeling he'll make an appearance eventually." And with that final word, he vanished. Dean hurried over to Candy, scooping her up in his arms.

"I'm fine, Dean," she panted, holding her breath after every word to keep from groaning in pain again. He rolled his eyes at her and rushed her back to the motel room.

"I need to patch you up. You still have that first aid kit in your bag?"

"It's outside on the ground."

"I'm going to go get it," he headed for the door. "You take off your shirt. It'll be easier to get to your shoulder and chest that way."

"That's usually your job."

"Be serious for a minute, Candy. You're bleeding everywhere."

"Please... I'm a girl. What do I care about a lot of blood?" She scoffed, carefully shimmying out of her tee shirt.

"Seriously, Candy? Christ, I swear you're more of a smartass than I am," Dean laughed, leaving the room to go retrieve the purse. As soon as he left, Candy balled her tee shirt up and held it against her wrist in an attempt to stop the bleeding. She was already starting to feel light-headed, and she knew that it was dangerous for her to just sit there and bleed. Luckily, Dean came back into the room relatively quickly.

"Hurry, Dean," she breathed, slumping over slightly. "I'm starting to get tired, and that's not a good thing."

"I got it, Candy," he frowned. He laid the kit beside her on the bed and rummaged through it until he found bandages and medical tape. It didn't take him long to patch her up, but by the end of it, Candy was struggling to stay sitting up. "Hey," he lifted her off of the bed in his arms again. He held her against his chest like she was a small child he was carrying to bed, then laid her in the other bed gently. He pulled back the covers so she could slide her legs underneath. "How you feeling?"

"Like I just woke up after a night of purple nurples and cheap vodka," she joked light-heartedly. Dean couldn't help but smile at the mention of the purple drink that he had once loaded her up with. He spent the rest of that night sitting behind her and rubbing her back while she emptied her stomach into a toilet. "I tried not to scream. I didn't want him to hurt you."

"He wasn't going to hurt me, Candy," Dean brushed her hair out of her face. "All he wanted was to lure me out. I wish you would have called for me sooner so that bastard didn't hurt you like he did. I was so scared when I heard you scream... I hate when you get hurt."

"I'm not a huge fan of it either, baby," she smiled, "but I do love when you take care of me. You're so good at it."

"If I was so good at it, you wouldn't be hurt in the first place," he muttered, walking back to the door to lock it. "Get some sleep, Candy."

"Dean... Do you ever think about one day getting out of all of this?" Candy wondered innocently. "What it would be like to have a house with a backyard. A dog running around, or maybe... Maybe a little girl."

"Candy, I told you once you get into this life, there's no getting out... I told you that when I picked you up from the bar that night."

"I know, but I can't help but think about what it would be like. To have a kid one day, or even a regular job. I'm not as good at pool as you are. Or poker for that matter. If I ever earn us any money, it's by working a night shift or two as some run down bar in whatever town we're staying in. And when you aren't there to run off creeps, they spend all night trying to get into my pants. I hate it..."

"So don't work at bars, Candy. I can get enough money for the both of us. You don't have to do that," Dean looked at her empathetically. "Trust me, I hate when guys flirt with you, too, Candy. Makes me want to put a bullet in their heads. I've never been like that before. Jealous... But with you everything is different. Stronger..."

"I know the feeling well," Candy pulled Dean down onto the bed with her. She moved closer to him and laid her head on his chest. "When did it become a normal thing to have to patch up multiple wound on my body?"

"Um... after that one time when that shapshifter in Atlanta kicked your ass," Dean teased her. "In your defense, the woman was build like ole Arnie in Terminator. Still... That was pretty bad."

"She was wearing four inch heels... God, they hurt like hell."

"Not as much as the gun she used to shoot me in the leg," Dean mumbled shamefully. They laughed together for a bit, then Candy curled up into a ball beside him,

"Goodnight, Dean Winchester.

"Sweet dreams, Candy."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4:

Candy watched curiously as Dean paced around the room, talking to Bobby on the phone. They had gotten lucky, and Bobby's house was exactly where Sam had gone for shelter. Dean told Bobby to keep Sam there and keep an eye on him because there was an angel looking for him. When he asked Bobby if he had any idea why, Bobby told him no. The angel had told Dean that Sam was "aiding the enemy", but no one knew what that really meant. The Winchester brothers had more enemies than Candy could count, and she had no idea why Sam would be helping any of them.

"Alright," Dean sighed, sitting on the bed beside Candy once he was off the phone. "We're going to go see this man's wife." Dean handed her a picture of a middle aged man named Donald Ruthers, whose throat had been slashed. "A few days ago, he bought an old wardrobe from the antique store for his daughter. Then, yesterday, his wife came home from dropping the little girl off at a friend's house and found her husband on the floor in front of the wardrobe with his throat cut. He bled out."

"Well... Sounds like a pretty typical case. Should be easy. Let's split up," Candy suggested.

"Hold it, Velma, I don't think we should be splitting up. When does that ever work out for us?" Dean scoffed. "How about we both go together to talk to Donald's wife?"

"Or," Candy smiled, leaning over to kiss Dean softly, "you go see the wife, and I'll go talk to the store owners. You can take me and drop me off, then come back and get me when you're done with the lady."

"Fine, but call me every chance you get."

"Yes, Dad."

"I'm serious, Candy. Keep in touch. I don't like you doing things on your own, and you know that."

"Even though I'm perfectly capable," she rolled her eyes. She got up from the bed and grabbed her purse from the table by the door. "Let's go. The sooner we get this case taken care of, the sooner we can get back to Bobby's and get Sam."

"You sure are worried about Sammy."

"Aren't you?" Candy frowned. "He's your brother, Dean."

"Yeah, I know, Candy."

"Then what's your deal? Don't you want to know what's going on with him? And make sure he's okay?" She watched Dean's face, hoping to understand what was wrong with him by seeing it in his eyes. Dean's eyes always gave away so much. "Are you worried about something, Dean?"

"Of course. I'm always worried."

"What is it?"

"I'm worried that... With Sam back..."

"I'll run back to him?" Candy finished his sentence for him. "As if the past year didn't happen? Dean..." She took a deep breath and sat back down on the bed with him. "Listen to me. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not that kind of girl, Dean. I know people think that because I was a bartender and wore revealing clothing because it got me better tips, I was the kind of person to bounce around when it came to men. I'm not, Dean. You know that. I've spent this past year with you. Falling for you. Being in love with _you_. Sure, I love Sam, but I love Sam in the kind of way that Bobby loves Sam. Not really family, but the closest thing we have."

"I just... Candy, I've never wanted something so badly."

"I know... And I know you're worried about Sam, too. So let's get this case done and get back to Bobby's. Come on. Let's go," Candy smiled. Dean finally agreed and stood to walk with Candy to the Impala.

He drove Candy out to the antique shop. It was tinier than they expected, but it was well kept on the outside except for the sidewalk that was overgrown with weeds. The sign above the door said "Walden's Antique Galleria". Candy got out of the car, turned back to wave to Dean, then walked inside. The inside somehow seemed bigger than she thought it would from the view of the outside. It was littered with antiques of every size, shape, and condition. Everything from porcelain animals to desks and dressers. The store smelled exactly how Candy expected it to. Old.

"Welcome!" A cheery old man called to her from behind the front counter. "Any idea what you're looking for today, Miss?"

"No, sir," Candy said politely. "My mother is a _huge _fan of antiques, and her birthday is coming up, so I wanted to get her something she would really like." She stepped closer to the counter, but stopped to look in the glass display case underneath. "Any idea what she might like?"

"We have a wonderful set of fine china in the back," the man beamed. "I bet your mother would like it. Or maybe she would like something more unique. We recently got a whole new lot of antiques, and there's a beautiful music box that I'm sure she would love. I could go get it for you."

"Sure, that'd be great," Candy nodded. The man walked through a door behind the counter, leaving Candy alone for the moment. She thought about calling Dean, but she had seen him only moments ago. She didn't need to check in with him, not yet. The man didn't take long. He brought out the music box and set it on the counter. It was beautiful, she had to admit. It was delicately painted light pink with vines and white roses twisting around the base. The shape of the box was simply that of a pentagonal prism, which contradicted the elegant paint design.

"I told you it was beautiful," the man chuckled.

"Yeah. It is. How much do you want for it?" Candy grinned down at the music box excitedly. "I really think she'll enjoy it."\

"Well, I'll tell you what," he looked up at her. "I'll take ten bucks for it, and all you have to do is come again."

"I'm sure I will," Candy laughed. She dug through her purse until she found her wallet, then she paid the man. "Before I go, I just have a few questions. Do you mind answering them?"

"Not at all."

"Not too long ago, a man named Donald came in and bought a wardrobe for his little girl. Can you tell me about the wardrobe?" Candy asked. The man shrugged his shoulders.

"Came from an estate sale that flopped. It's a shame. All of the stuff that woman had was really beautiful."

"How'd she die?"

"I don't know. Mrs. Bowers was kind of eccentric, so I guess no one really cared that she died. She liked my store, though," the man explained. "Thanks for your purchase. I expect to see you again."

"Yeah. You will," Candy smiled again before leaving the store. She stood outside, and she immediately called Dean. Dean said that the wife wouldn't let him inside but that he had gotten some information out of her. He didn't want to talk on the phone too long while, so he told her he would tell her everything when he picked her up. When he hung up, Dean said that he was on his way to get her then.

After Dean picked her up, they went to a local diner for lunch together. They sat down at a table near the back of the room where no one was sitting. Dean ordered a beer and a piece of pie, while Candy ordered just a chocolate milk. He admired some of the child-like things about Candy. Like how she still loved chocolate milk.

"The store owner said that the wardrobe came from an estate sale. A woman died, I don't know how, and they tried to sell her things but no one would buy them. They ended up at the shop," Candy told him after taking a sip of her milk through a bendy straw.

"Who was she?"

"He called her Mrs. Bowers. Shouldn't be too hard to look up and find. There can't be many old ladies with the last name Bowers in Arcadia. What did Donald's wife tell you?" Candy wondered.

"She said Donald had been acting strange the day he died," Dean grumbled. "Said he complained about a rash on his foot and leg, but he wouldn't show anyone. He said it wasn't a problem, but the lady said he seemed to be in a lot of pain. He didn't go to work that day. The little girl acted like she knew something though. She was peering around the mom's leg, and she kept trying to talk but the mom shut her up."

"So we have to get to the little girl somehow. Maybe you should let me do it. I'm sure I'll be a little less intimidating than you," Candy suggested sweetly.

"Anyways," Dean rolled his eyes, "what's with the music box?"

"The guy showed it to me, and I thought it was cute," she shrugged indifferently. "I had a music box when I was a kid, and it was kinda like this one. So... I spent ten dollars on it."

"That's not too bad."

"I didn't think so either."

"Well, I'm done for today. We can find something to kill time, then go back to the hotel room," Dean stretched his arm out to his sides.

"Or we could go back to the hotel room and kill time there." Candy rubbed Dean's foot with hers, biting her lip seductively. "Take a shower... Crawl into bed together."

"How I do love those showers," Dean smirked. "The problem is... I thought I should take you out tonight. We'll go to a bar. Play some pool. Get something to drink."

"And you'll hussle some money out of some big guys playing poker or pool. I get it..." Candy looked down at her lap. "To keep me from having to pick up a job there, then bail mysteriously a couple days later..."

"I don't have much of a choice."

"I'd rather work there. I hate when you get into fights with guys bigger than you, Dean."

"I always win."

"But you get hurt sometimes, too."

"We'll go out tonight. Get some money. It'll be fine, Candy, I promise," Dean frowned. He reached across the table and grabbed her hand gently. "I'll make it up to you, okay? I'll find a night, and I'll take you out for real. To a nice, fancy resteraunt somewhere. One of those places you have to buy new clothes to go to. I promise. Just be patient with me. Okay?"

"You're so lucky I love you, Dean Winchester," Candy huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Fine... We'll go to a bar."

"That's my girl."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5:

Dean watched angrily as a group of three young guys stared at Candy across the room. She had gone to search for a song on the jukebox, and she was bent over, peering in the glass. The guys were chatting amongst themselves while they started, which only pissed Dean off more. He had safely and successfully hussled three hundred dollars off of some rich frat boy in a blue polo. The guy was much more interested in Candy than playing pool with Dean. Although it helped Dean win, it made him furious to know that anyone else was looking at Candy like that. Everyone did, though. That was the price of having such an alluring girl by his side.

It didn't help of course that she was wearing a tank top that stopped just above her bellybutton and a short skirt. Her fiery red curls were tousled about in a way that always made her seem sexier to Dean and probably to everyone else as well. Before Candy, Dean was never in a serious relationship long enough to start becoming jealous of other guys. With her, however, it burned inside of him. Even when it was his own brother.

Once Candy gave up on finding a song on the jukebox, she walked back over to Dean with a look of disappointment. As could be expected, the three guys followed her with their gazes.

"I couldn't find our song," she pouted.

"What song?"

"_Our _song. Bon Jovi. You know. 'I wanna lay you down on a bed of roses, oh, at night, I'll sleep on a bed of nails'," she sang quietly. "That song. The one that was playing on the radio that night after we got out of the shower together... and went to the bed."

"Right. I remember that. Felt like a scene right out of an eighties movie," Dean joked playfully. "Great song. Great night."

"Yeah, well, they don't have it. I really wanted to hear it again," she sighed. "I think I might just play a game of pool. You should give me the keys before you drink anymore."

"I don't think I'll drink too much tonight. Gotta get up tomorrow and function properly tonight. I may not have a bed of roses, but I'm still planning on laying you down," he smiled the way that Dean always smiled when he said something witty.

"Okay," Candy beamed, skipping back to the pool table. She began a game, and Dean turned back around to the bar to order one last beer before he began the long process of sobering up.

Candy bent over for only a moment to take a shot, and suddenly, she felt someone pressing up against her. She stood back up, feeling a hand creep around to grab her hip kind of forcefully. Knowing it wasn't Dean, Candy did anything a good hunter would do. She threw her head back and smashed it into the face of the man behind her. He fell backwards, so she turned around and threw another devastating punch to the man's face. After that, he hit the floor, groaning in pain. The bar was silent except for the few bits of quiet laughter from the friends of the guy who had touched her.

Dean rushed over to where she was standing over the now bloody-faced college guy. He took her by the arm and pulled her towards the door. Once the were in the Impala, Dean turned to ask her what had happened.

"He grabbed my waist," she admitted angrily. "Came up behind me while I was shooting pool. What an asshole..."

"Next time, I'll go to the bar alone, okay? I don't like all the drunk guys that hit on you or try to make a move on you. It's not even your fault, I just... I really don't like it. My hunter instincts kick in, and all I want to do is decapitate them. Or neuter them..."

"Dean..."

"You're mine, Candy," Dean said, starting the car, "and there's nothing I would not to do protect you."

They drove straight back to the motel, and Dean hopped into the shower quickly in an attempt to cool off. Meanwhile, Candy wondered around the room, looking for something to occupy herself until Dean got out of the shower. On the table by the door, she noticed the light pink box that she had purchased from the antique store. She became immediately intrigued by it like the very first time the man showed it to her.

Candy lifted the lid of the music box, admiring the single white rose standing on a spring that was underneath. She flicked it mindlessly, then turned the box over to find the pin she needed to turn to start the music. After a moment of hesitation, she grabbed the pin and twisted it. As soon as her fingers touched the small piece of metal, a sharp pain shot through her fingertips, up her arm, and into her chest. Candy dropped the box, and she stumbled backwards in shock.

Her heart began to race and her chest ached horribly. Candy looked down at her forefinger that felt like it was on fire, and on the tip of her finger was a black spot. It seemed to spread up to her knuckle rapidly, then through the veins of her hand. The blackness branched out, following every vein in her hand and fingers. Finally, it stopped at her wrist where the bandage still covered the wound that Azreth had inflicted on her. Candy slid to the floor and began calling out for Dean.

The intense level of fear in her voice made Dean jump out of the shower instantly and run to her aid, almost forgetting to grab a towel. He hurried to wrap it around himself, then knelt down beside Candy who was sitting on the end of the bed.

"My hand!" She cried. "It hurts, Dean. It's burning!" Dean grabbed her hand, and he stared at the blackness spreading through her veins with wide and fearful eyes. "Dean... Make it stop..." She was practically sobbing at that point, and all Dean could do was hold her. After a few minutes, she stopped crying, and the pain seemed to ease up.

"What happened, Candy? What is that?" He questioned her.

"I don't know! I tried to turn the thing and make the music play from that stupid thing, and this pain just shot up through my arm and into my chest. Then this black suff started spreading," she whined. "Oh my God, it hurt so bad, Dean... It still stings."

"So it came from the music box?"

"Yes!" She groaned in frustration and pain.

"Candy, do you think this was like the rash that Donald said he had before he died?" Dean wondered. Candy shook her head frantically,

"No. Don't say that to me. I don't want to die."

"I wouldn't let you. It's something we have to consider, though."

"Damn it!" She cried out, laying her head back against the end of the bed. "Why me? Why'd I let him talk me into buying this stupid box?"

"We need to talk to that old man again. Find out if it's something he's doing. Could be witchcraft. You feel up to heading out tomorrow morning?" Dean asked her empathetically, then helped her up onto the bed. "If you want, I can go alone."

"First off, I'm never going to let you do something alone," Candy took a deep breath, "and secondly, I really don't want to be alone with this stuff spreading through me. It stopped for now, but what if it starts spreading again? It could kill me."

"I should go to the morgue. Sneak in and see Donald's corpse," Dean suggested. "I can do that alone, and you should stay here anyways. I'll be back soon." He kissed her on the forehead, and he snatched up his jacket and keys on the way out the door.

Candy was alone for a long time. She held her hand against her chest and prayed for Castiel to come and help them. Cas had done so much for them in the past, and she was quite fond of him. Anytime that they got into a situation that she was afraid could be too much for them to handle, she prayed to him. Prayed that he would come to the rescue again, as he had done so many times before.

After awhile, Candy decided maybe it would help if she slept through the pain, so she undressed and slid into bed. Just as she settled down, she felt a rush of wind whip through the room. She jerked up out of the bed, grabbing the knife on her nightstand and gripping it tighlty in preparation for a fight. Once she settled down, she realized that it was a familiar face in a long beige trenchcoat. She sighed in relief.

"Cas," she beamed, running to him. She jumped into his arms, squeezing his neck tightly. "I'm so glad you're here. It's been so long. Where the hell have you been?" Cas looked down at her, noticing the bandages on her exposed breast and her shoulder and wrist, as well. At first, he was concerned, but then his face flushed when he realized she was indecent.

"Candy, I think this would be much less awkward if you were dressed," Cas cleared his throat awkwardly. Candy remembered suddenly that she was in her bra and underwear.

"Shit... You're right," she frowned, rushing to the dresser to pull out one of Deans tee shirts. She slid it on over her head quickly and flopped down on the edge of the bed. "So where have you been, Cas?"

"Heaven is in a state of chaos, Candy, and I've been working hard to unify the angels again," he admitted without hesitation. "Raphael is gathering an army to fight me for control. I can't always be here to rescue you, Candy. You have to understand that."

"Oh, big brother, you're hurting my feelings," Candy stuck out her bottom lip playfully. Castiel smiled. It was always amusing to him how Candy could portray child-like characteristics in such an attractive way. He would never admit out loud that he thought Candy was overwhelmingly beautiful. As if it wasn't bad enough when she was involved with Sam, it was definitely wrong for Castiel to think of her in any way but a friend while she was with Dean. After all, Dean was Castiel's best friend. "I know you can't always be around, Cas, but you're still family to us. Sometimes we need a little of your angel mojo when we get into a tight bind."

"What's wrong, then?" Cas asked.

"It's still spreading," Candy grimace, holding out her arm. The blackness in her veins had spread up past the bandage around her wrist and stopped just after it passed her elbow. "We don't know what it is. It's involved in a case. It happened after I tried to start the music box over there on the table. Then it just spread up my arm. Hurts like hell."

"This hardly seems dire, Candy."

"Excuse me?" She scoffed. "The last man to buy something from that shop had his throat slashed. He complained about a rash, and I think that this may be what he had on him. It might be life or death, Cas."

"Every case could be life or death."

"Wow, Cas. I'll remember that next time I'm being cut up by an angel outside the motel," she huffed angrily.

"Wait, what?" Cas questioned her, kneeling down in front of her. He rested his hand on her knees. "That's what the bandages are for, isn't it? What happened, Candy? Who was it?"

"Some asshole named Azreth. Dean came out there and ran him off, but not before he took a knife and dug it into me a few times." She ran her thumb gently over the bandage around her wrist. "He wanted to know where Sam was. He said Sam was aiding the enemy, and that we better look out because he's going to be around."

"This isn't good, Candy. Azreth is Raphael's best soldier. He's really dangerous, and it's my fault he's after Sam," Castiel took a deep breath. "I got Sam out of the cage."

"What? How?"

"It took a lot out of me. Made me weak for awhile. Sam is damaged from his time in the cage, but he's been helping me hunt and kill Raphael's followers. He's my greatest asset now. This, of course, means that I'm also responsible for the attack on you, Candy. I'm so sorry." He reached up to rest his hand on her cheek. "If Azreth returns, call on me again."

"And what about now? Can you tell me what this is in my veins? It burns... and when it starts to spread again, it burns even more." Candy removed his hand from her cheek gently. "You should visit Dean at the morgue, too, before you hightail it back to your war."

"Candy, I don't know what is inside of you. It does not come from heaven or hell, so my knowledge is limited. I can see it I can get rid of it." He stood, then sat down beside her. He took her arm into his hand gently and rested his palm on hers. As hard as he focused, the blackness seemed immune to his influence. It seemed like a poison, but he could not heal her of it. After a moment, he squeezed her hand and returned it to her lap. "I can't do anything. I'm sorry, Candy."

"It's okay," she smiled half-heartedly. "I've been in situations like this before, and I'm sure we'll fix it. Dean has a way of finding a solution to everything. I'll live."

"If anything goes wrong, call me again, Candy. Don't abuse my help, but I'm here if you really need me. Like you said, we're sort of like family," Cas told her, kissing her head before standing up and preparing to leave again. "I'll see Dean before I go. I'll tell him what I've told you."

"Bye, big brother," she looked down at her arm. Then, once again it began to spread through her veins. It climbed up her arm like a spiderweb, aching as if someone was holding her arm over a fire. Candy collapsed onto the floor, crying out in pain while tears streamed down her face. Castiel fell to his knees beside her, gathering her up in his arms.

"I'm taking you to Dean. Now."

"Hurry, Cas! It hurts so much," she sobbed.

"We're leaving now. Just hold on, Candy."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6:

Castiel carried her into the morgue, rushing to find Dean. When he did, Dean was standing over a body that had similar the same blackness webbing through his veins that Candy did. He looked up at her, at Cas, and he muttered something under his breath.

"She's got it," he groaned in frustration. "Damn it, Cas!" Dean slammed his hand down on the metal bed underneath the corpse of Donald. "Where have you been? Everything is going wrong! Sam's back, but he ran off. Candy's sick, and she's hurting... What do I do?"

"Work the case like you always do, Dean," Cas frowned, shifting Candy in his arms. "Find the connection between Donald and Candy. You can do it, Dean. I know you can. You always do. But you need to hurry."

"The black stuff won't kill her by itself. Donald had his throat slashed," Dean pondered. "Makes me wonder if it's some sort of ghost disease like I had that one time... Maybe it's a ghost attached to the antique store or something... And fooling around with the objects gets you infected. Then the ghost comes to finish the job while you're weak."

"We need to get back to the store then," Candy grumbled. "That old man has to know something about the things he's selling."

Dean rushed Candy back to the store as soon as morning came around. He was dressed in his neatest suit, as was Candy. Luckily, it was open, and the old man was standing cheerily behind the counter just as he had before. He was hunched over, leaning his arms on the glass display case tiredly. Although he seemed physically exhausted, the grin on his face still seemed genuine.

"Good afternoon, young man," he said to Dean kindly. "And I remember you, young lady, from yesterday. You purchased the music box, right? I did love that piece."

"What's the connection between the music box and the wardrobe you sold to Donald Ruthers?" Dean asked without a moment's hesitation. "Detective McCartney. I need this information now."

"Well, the two of them came from the same estate sale. Mrs. Bowers passed away, and everything that didn't sell came to me." The old man's hands started to trembled. "Is there something wrong? What's going on?" The old man looked to Candy, and he noticed something black seeming to spread up Candy's neck. "Oh, no. What's that? Are you alright?"

"I need that woman's address," Candy told him urgently. "It's important. We need all the information you can give us."

"She lives here," the old man cleared his throat, snatching up a pen and sticky note. He jotted down an address and a name, then handed the note to Dean. "Janice Decker is her daughter. She's living in Mrs. Bowers house now. She's the one who brought me all of her mother's stuff."

"Thank you so much," Candy smiled half-heartedly. She turned to leave, then collapsed without any kind of warning in advance. The old man grabbed his phone to call an ambulance, but Dean scooped Candy up and took off running before he could even dial the numbers.

Candy laid against the door of the impala tiredly. The pain had gone away, and all she wanted to do was sleep. Her muscles felt sore, making it harder and harder for her to move. It had been a long time since she had felt that ridiculously exhausted.

"Don't you dare go to sleep," Dean ordered her. "I need you to hold on, okay? I'm going to figure out where this bitch was buried, and I'm going to burn her. Just stay awake."

"I just need like... an hour, Dean. It finally stopped hurting. I just want to sleep." Candy closed her eyes, but Dean quickly reached over and shook her awake.

"Damn it, Candy, stay awake. We're almost there."

"Please, Dean..."

"No. Not yet." He sped down the road until he reached the house of the old woman. Dragging Candy out of the car, he piggy-backed her up to the front door. After knocking in a panic, Dean waited for the daughter to show up at the door.

Finally, after what felt like half an hour, the daughter, Janice, opened the door and looked at Dean and Candy in confusion.

"Can I help you?"

"My friend is very sick, okay, and it has something to do with your mother. I need you to tell me how she died and where she's buried," Dean blurted out. Janice made a face at him,

"Excuse me? Who are you?"

"FBI. Detective McCartney. Now tell me what I need to know," Dean commanded the woman. She scoffed,

"Show me a badge or something. You can't just show up at my house asking about my deceased mother. For your information, she wasn't buried. She was cremated."

"What?"

"She was cremated."

"Son of a bitch!" Dean yelled, rushing back to the car frantically. He put Candy in the passenger's seat, then hurried to his own seat. "We're going back to the shop. If Bowers was cremated, then she must be holding onto her things. She has to be attached to them." He sped off, tires squealing, hands gripping the steering wheel nervously. He looked over at Candy, and cringed when he saw the blackness climbing up over her jaw. "Hold on, Candy. Please hold on."

The old man was getting ready to leave the shop when Dean got there. Dean pulled his wallet out of his pocket and handed the man half of what he had in there. The old man looked up at him in confusion.

"I need to burn Mrs. Bowers things. It's important. Here's the money to pay for it," Dean told him. "Let me back inside so I can get her things."

"Okay, son," the old man handed him his keys. "You're a hunter, aren't you?" He asked as Dean was running to the door. Dean stopped for a moment.

"What?"

"You're a hunter. You're going to burn Mrs. Bowers things because she's hauting them. That's right isn't it?"

"Yeah," Dean nodded. "How did you know that?"

"There was a hunter that came to my shop before. When I was younger. I had an item that I had sold to a man, and that item was haunted. I helped the hunter dig up a body, salt it, and burn it." The old man motioned with his hand for Dean to keep going. "Hurry. That sweet little girl in the car has only gotten worse since you were here before."

"Thank you," Dean smiled before bursting into the building. One by one, he found all of the items labeled with Mrs. Bowers' name and dragged them outside. Once he had collected them all, he poured gasoline over them. He tossed salt over the pile and lit a match. Before he threw it on the pile of assorted items, he saw a pale old woman standing on the other side of it. She was scowling at him, but made no move to stop him. "I'm freeing you," he told her. "Now go to hell." He tossed the match, and everything went up in flames. The old woman looked up, then in a similar fashion, combusted.

Dean walked back to the car with the old man trailing behind him. Candy was sitting up in the passenger's seat, looking at her arms as the blackness that was webbing through her veins began to fade away. She grinned and looked out of the window at Dean.

"You did it."

"Of course I did," Dean sighed. "I'm good at what I do. Plus, I wasn't about to let some creepy old lady take you away from me. It was actually pretty easy anyways. The old woman didn't put up a fight."

"Sometimes they're ready to go," Candy yawned. "I just don't understand why she was haunting her things and killing people in the first place. I know she was eccentric, but was she a murderer?"

"Maybe she was just angry about people taking her things," the old man suggested. "She was always protective of her antiques. They were kind of a passion of hers. I never liked the woman. Not really. She weirded me out."

"The 'why' doesn't matter anymore. It's over," Dean stretched his arms over his head. "Let's go back to the hotel, take a nap, then hit the road." He turned towards the old man and thanked him kindly before taking Candy back to the motel.

Once they were there, Candy undressed and crawled into bed. She was so exhausted, but the pain and the feeling of immobility were both gone. Now, all she wanted to do was lay with Dean and fall asleep. That's exactly what she did. He held her tightly and stroked her hair until she faded into a deep and peaceful slumber.

When they woke up a few hours later, it was late at night. However, they both knew they needed to get to Bobby's as soon as they could, so they got up and packed their things. After Candy helped Dean load the car, she climbing into the passenger's seat and laid against the window again. Dean told her to sleep, but she didn't want to. She wanted to stay awake with him and listen to the same old classic rock songs that Dean loved to sing along to. It made her happy to see him happy. No matter how hard she tried though, only a couple hours into the drive, Candy fell asleep again.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7:

Dean walked ahead of Candy, almost protectively. There hadn't been a time when Candy, Dean, and Sam had all been in the same room since Sam's return. Unfortunately, Sam came to the door before Dean and Candy could even get into Bobby's. Sam gave Dean a disapproving look, then walked past him to get to Candy. He brushed Candy's wild curls out of her face and took a deep breath.

"Cas told me you were really sick... I was about to drive back and make sure you were okay. I'm glad you're alright now," Sam told her sweetly. Candy looked down at her feet nervously,

"I'm fine. Thanks to Dean. He saved my life."

"I'm sure he did," Sam sighed. He turned back to his brother, and he thanked him with a nod of gratitude. Dean shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "Come on. Let's get you guys something to eat. Bobby tried to make eggs, but they came out a little burnt. The good news is, we have cereal. That smores kind."

"My favorite," Candy smiled.

"I know." Sam ushered the two into the house where Bobby greeted them happily. Dean and Bobby sat in the living room to talk, while Sam took Candy into the kitchen to make her a bowl of cereal. She sat at the table awkwardly, resting her cheek on her hand. After a moment, Sam set the bowl in front of her and sat in the adjacent seat. "What happened to you back in Arcadia, Candy?"

"It was a ghost," she chuckled, "which I completely called ahead of time. It's always a ghost when it comes to antiques. But it was different because she was infecting people with something that hurt like a bitch and made them weak. Once they were slowed down enough, she would kill them. All for taking her stuff. At least, that's what we think. We didn't have too much time to really investigate it thoroughly since I was dying."

"I should've stayed," Sam frowned. "I thought it would be an easy case, and that you two could handle it on your own. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Sam. Don't worry about it," Candy waved him off. "It's done and it's handled. I'm alive. That's all that matters." She watched his face carefully, trying to read his emotions. "We figured you'd come back to Bobby's. Cas visited me. He said you were helping him with Raphael." Candy held out her arm to show Sam the bandages. "There was an angel named Azreth that came after you at the motel. He caught me outside while I was visiting the vending machine. Got me pretty good before Dean heard me screaming and came to run him off."

"Azreth?" Sam sat back, his muscles in his jaw and arms tensing. "I'm going to kill that asshole. I'm sorry, Candy. That was all my fault."

"That's what Cas said, too. He blamed himself. Neither of you are right, though. If it's anyones fault, it's my stupid stomach's. I needed a snack. It was just wrong place, wrong time. He had no idea me and Dean were even there, so if he hadn't seen me outside, then nothing would have happened," Candy reassured him. "I don't know what part you're playing in all of this, but this isn't your war, Sam. I love Cas to death, but... you don't need to be putting yourself in the middle of this. You could get hurt."

"You'll be fine without me," Sam grimaced. "You've done fine without me for an entire year. You have Dean."

"That's not fair."

"Isn't it? My girlfriend is sleeping with my brother. I don't really think that's fair either, but it's a little late for that now, isn't it?" Sam stood suddenly, turning away from her. "You're all I thought about. I couldn't wait to come back to you after I was done helping Cas."

"I'm sorry, Sam... It was a long time before Dean and I even let ourselves get close to one another. We didn't know you were coming back, and we needed each other... We both love you, and we care about you," Candy defended herself.

"Do you? Do you still love me?" Sam whipped around to ask her.

"Of course."

"The same way?"

"Sam... It's not that easy. Please... I do love you, but I love Dean. I've been spending all my time with Dean. I can't just let that go. Please understand."

"Oh, I understand. I get it."

"Don't hate me."

"I don't. I never could," Sam flopped back down into his seat. He put his forehead into his hands and groaned in frustration. "How am I supposed to be okay? I still feel the same way about you... I wish I could hate you. It would make it so much easier, because loving you is going to hurt like a bitch." He looked up at her, "Tell me what to do."

"I don't even know what to do, Sam." Candy laid her head down on the table in frustration. "I feel like every move I make is wrong. I know you're angry, but tell me this, if you were gone for good, wouldn't you rather I end up with Dean? Someone you trust who can keep me safe."

"I would have rather he left you alone. That way you could get out of the life, and you could always be safe and happy. Azreth wouldn't want anything from you if Dean hadn't dragged you along with him because he's afraid to be alone," Sam huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "I thought that with me gone... I thought you wouldn't be anywhere near Dean. I thought you would finally be safe again."

"How could I be? I know what's out there. I knew how to hunt enough to make it dangerous for me. Even before Dean. I wouldn't have stopped helping people every chance I got. And do you really think that working in that god-awful bar that Dean left me in would have been safe? Every night I had to worry that someone was going to follow me outside. I was scared of taking out the trash. The way the guys in that bar talked to me made me feel disgusting inside. I hated it..." She raised her head and looked up at Sam with watery eyes. "The only time in my life that I ever felt really safe is when I was with you and Dean... Because I knew you would take care of me."

"Candy, this life isn't for someone like you."

"Why not?" She rubbed her eyes in an attempt to hide her tears. "I've been with Dean for a year now, hunting everything that came up along the way. We never stopped or slowed down because it kept our minds off of the fact that you were gone. Being in life or death situations all the time actually made us _feel _more alive. For once... We were okay."

"Candy..."

"Don't think for one second that we ever stopped missing you. It was so hard on Dean not having you by his side. Not having his brother. As much as it hurt me... It hurt him more," Candy interrupted Sam. "I know how you're thinking about everything. As if we just got together because we could after you were gone, but it wasn't like that."

"I don't need you to explain any of this to me," Sam uncrossed his arms. All of his fury and rage started to fade away. Suddenly, while looking into Candy's teary eyes, Sam felt like he was the bad guy. "Please don't cry, Candy. Please... I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Candy told him, standing quickly and running out the front door. She didn't want anyone to see her cry. She was the only female in a house of males, and she didn't want to seem weak.

Sam stood in front of the door, debating on whether to follow her outside or not. Before he could make a decision, Dean came into the room. He looked into the kitchen for Candy, then to Sam.

"Where did Candy go?"

"She ran outside. She was crying," Sam admitted. "It was my fault, too. I was giving her a hard time."

"Damn it," Dean grumbled, starting towards the door. Sam stuck his arm out and stopped him before he could go any further. "What're you doing? I need to go make sure she's okay."

"I'll go. It's my fault anyways," Sam told him.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why? Afraid I'll steal my girl back?" Sam grimaced at his older brother. Dean glared up at Sam, his muscles tensing. "I'm kidding," Sam rolled his eyes. "Look, it's my fault. I should be the one to fix it. I'll go." Despite Dean's protesting, Sam went after Candy.

Candy sat on the hood of one of the old cars in the lot, pulling her knees to her chest. Her head hurt from the constant conflict raging on inside of her. She was so torn between the Winchester brothers. It was impossible to forget how much she had loved Sam before he jumped into the pit, and even more impossible to forget the time that they spent together. At the same time, she was madly in love with Dean. There was so much passion between them, and there was a spark that wasn't there with Sam. Still, it was hard to figure out what was right and what she should do.

Sam rounded the corner and found Candy sitting on top of a car. At the sight of him, she hid her face in her knees. He felt bad, but not bad enough to just accept that she had gone to Dean after he was gone. In fact, he didn't know if he could ever accept it. The truth was, and would always remain to be, that Sam loved Candy.

"Hey," he said solemnly as he approached her. She ignored him. "Candy, please just listen to me." Once again, she ignored him. "Hey!" He said more sternly this time. When she remained silent, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He reached out and grabbed her ankles. Yanking them towards him, Sam pulled her to the edge of the car and placed himself between the legs that he had dragged away from her. She leaned back on her elbows, looking at Sam in confusion. Sam wrapped his arm around her waist and forced her to come forward. Only he didn't stop there. He pulled her so that she was pressing against his chest, then he wrapped his other arm around her as well. "Would you just listen to me," Sam groaned, hugging her tightly.

"I'm listening," Candy breathed, keeping her palms pressed flat against the hood of the car. She knew she shouldn't embrace Sam so affectionately, but part of her wanted to comfort him, too.

"You don't understand... I still love you. How am I supposed to see you with Dean and feel okay with it? How could I ever be okay with it?" He squeezed her tighter. "You were the first girl in all my life that I saw a future with. I thought... She might be the one. The one that I end up with."

"Sammy," she sighed, finallly returning the hug. "I'm sorry... I didn't think for one minute that you were coming back... Dean tried. He looked for any kind of way to bring you back. Except... I wouldn't let him make any deal with demons. I couldn't stand to lose him, too... If I thought you were going to be coming back, then I would have never... I wouldn't have even entertained the idea of being with Dean."

"I know... I know that, Candy. I just know that I've never loved someone so much." He burrowed his face in her hair, relishing the familiar sweet scent of strawberries that lingered there. Feeling awkward, Candy pulled away from Sam and slid off of the car. She started back towards the house, but suddenly Sam grabbed her by the arm and twirled her back around. She hit his chest with a light grunt. When she looked up at him for an explanation, Sam wasted no time pressing his lips against hers. Candy froze, her body going rigid while Sam kissed her with a passion that he'd never shown her before.

"Sam, no," Candy said once she regained the ability to pull away from Sam. "We can't do that, Sammy. We can't anymore."

"I'm sorry... I needed to feel that again..."

"You can't kiss me like that Sam. Not anymore," Candy frowned. "I'm sorry, but you just can't." She turned away from him and walked back inside, touching her fingertips to her lips lightly. For some reason, all she wanted was to be in Dean's arms again. She needed to be comforted.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 14:

Dean noticed the troubled look on Candy's face all day. He waited patiently until they arrived at the motel they were going to stay at for the night. Sam was staying at Bobby's, so Dean decided to put some distance between himself and his brother for the night. It also gave him the perfect oppurtunity to be alone with Candy and find out what was wrong with her. He wasn't stupid; he knew it had something to do with Sam.

Candy took a shower to try and clear her mind. The water tamed her wild curls and laid them down her back in waves of auburn red. She shaved her legs so they were as soft as a baby's skin after a bath, and after she was done, she stepped out of the shower and combed through her hair slowly. She was stalling, hoping to avoid talking to Dean for as long as she could. Once she opened up to him, she knew that she would have to tell him the truth about what happened outside with Sam.

Dean knocked on the bathroom door, "Candy?"

"Just a minute, Dean." She set her comb down and dropped her towel around her feet. The best way she knew how to distract Dean was with something that he always enjoyed. Taking a deep breath, she opened the bathroom door to reveal herself, completely unclothed. Dean's eyes immediately dropped to her glistening skin and the curves of her body. "Am I just going to stand her like I'm on display, or are you going to get undressed?"

"You're avoiding talking about today, aren't you?" Dean quickly regained his composure. He crossed his arms over his chest, "Tell me what happened. Now, Candy."

"Dean, no... Let's just enjoy the moment," she pleaded with him. Her hands grabbed onto the hem of his jeans, yanking Dean forwards. "Just... make love to me, Dean. Like you mean it."

"Oh, I always mean it, baby," Dean told her as he grabbed her wrists. "And I'll mean it just as much after you tell me what's wrong."

"Dean, I don't wanna talk about it."

"I do," he frowned. "Just tell me what happened. Please."

"Sam kissed me," she finally admitted. "I was outside, sitting on the hood of a car, and he came out there. He talked for a minute, then he pulled me into a hug. I felt awkward, so I got up to leave. Then he grabbed my arm... And he kissed me. I swear to God it wasn't me, Dean. I didn't return the kiss or anything." Candy's knees began to wobble, and her naked body began to tremble. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Fuck!" Dean snapped, turning around and kicking over his own suitcase furiously. It wasn't often that Dean used that word, so when he did, Candy knew that he was seriously pissed. In a fit of rage, he picked up his suitcase and threw it across the room. Then he turned the mattress over on the bed closest to him, threw everything off of the dresser, and slid to the ground with his elbows on his knees. "I knew this would happen. I knew he would try to take you away from me."

"Stop it, Dean. He's your brother. We don't know everything he went through, so... We have to be patient with him. And loving, too. Me, you, Bobby, Cas... We're all he has," Candy tried to defend Sam. "I'm not going to run back to Sam. I don't care what he tries to do. I'm with you, Dean. I want to always be with you."

"He can't have you," Dean stood quickly. He walked back to Candy aggressively, lifting her off of the ground so he could pin her back against the wall. Her legs wrapped around his waist,

"Dean...," she gasped as he pressed himself against her. He used the wall to hold her up so that he could reach between them and undo his jeans. Candy kept her arms wrapped around his neck, anxiously awaiting the feeling of him pushing into her. For a moment, she felt the tip of him. Then, he dropped her suddenly and pulled his jeans back up. "What's wrong, Dean?" Candy asked him.

"I'm not in the mood anymore," he grumnled, heading for the door. "I'm going for a walk. I'll be right back." Dean slammed the door behind him as he left the room. Candy, still shaking furiously, walked back into the hot bathroom. She picked up her towel and wrapped it around herself. Her hands rested against the cold marble of the sink, but her eyes stared straight ahead at her reflection in the mirror. Then, as if she was an insecure teenager again who hated herself, she watched herself start to cry.

Candy heard the door open behind her, and she turned around to confront Dean about leaving her like he did. Unfortunately, it wasn't Dean who came through the door. It was a familiar blonde-haired, blue-eyed angel. Candy grabbed the bathroom door, but before she could close it, Azreth burst through the door. It flew back and hit Candy in the mouth, instantly splitting open her bottom lip. She stumbled back against the sink, and Azreth grabbed her by the shoulders. He pulled her out of the bathroom and threw her down on the bed.

"Dean!" She screamed. Azreth had closed and locked the door already, which meant Dean probably couldn't hear her. She rolled onto her stomach and tried to scramble for the door, but Azreth caught her by the legs and pulled her back. Her instincts kicked in, and he kicked her leg upwards, hitting Azreth in the nose. He let her go for a second, and she rolled away from him. Clinging to her towel, she ran for the door. Azreth was there in an instant, though, and he grabbed her by her hair. After throwing her head forward and smashing it into the door, Azreth yanked her back and let her crumble to the floor.

"You know where Sam Winchester is, little girl," Azreth glared down at her. "You're going to tell me, or I will inflict so much pain, that you'll wish you were dead."

"I'm not telling you a damn thing," Candy spat blood as she spoke. "So just kill me because I'm not going to tell you anything."

"Oh, I didn't say I was going to kill you," Azreth chuckled. He knelt down beside her, "I said I was going to make you wish you were dead." He grabbed her wrists and held them down. "They don't want you dead. No... We can still use you. But they told me I could destroy you."

"Go to hell you slimy son-of-a-bitch," Candy spat at him. Azreth stood up, and he grinned down at her. After a moment of feeling powerful, Azreth began kicking Candy in the side, over and over. When she rolled away from him, he picked her up by her arm and threw her at the chair by the table. He hit her in the face, hard enough to cause her to lose consciousness for a moment.

When Candy's eyes opened again, she was bound to the chair. Her ankles, as well as her arms, were tied to the wooden chair by various belts and long sleeve tee-shirts. Her eyes began to close again, but she was woken back up by a quick slap to the face.

"I have to hurry," Azreth muttered. "I don't know when Dean Winchester will be returning. I got lucky when I saw him leaving you alone. It was the perfect oppurtunity to try and get some information out of you." Candy lifted her head, and using every ounce of strength she had left in her, she kicked off of the floor and threw the chair backwards. When it hit the ground, it knocked one of the arms loose. Candy freed one arm, but before she could make anymore advancements, Azreths pulled the chair back upright. However, Candy managed to strike him in the face with her freed hand. As he stumbled backwards, she freed her other hand, then her ankles. For a moment, she felt proud. Then, Azreth grabbed her by her hair and threw her down on the bed.

"Cas!" She cried out, knowing that Dean wasn't coming back to save her. "Castiel, I need you! It's life or death, please! Help me!" Azreth slapped her across the face again, so Candy closed her mouth and fell silent. He held her wrists down.

"I hope he comes," Azreth nearly growled in her face. His teeth were gritting angrily. "That way I can kill him, then kill you. Two birds with one stone. Raphael will be pleased."

"Sure," Candy rolled her eyes, spitting more blood onto the floor. "If it goes that way. Cas probably won't even show. Plus, you can't kill me. Your bosses don't want you to."

"Well," Azreth leaned down and whispered in her face, "I can do other things." His hand slid between her legs, moving upwards underneath her towel. Candy squirmed and squeezed her legs shut desperately. Azreth jerked his hand away before anything happened, but Candy still felt sick to her stomach. "One last chance to tell me where Sam Winchester is."

"I won't. I would never tell you anything." Candy started to tremble in fear, but she tried to keep up her tough exterior. Azreth yanked her towel away from her, so she curled up in a ball to cover herself.

"Last chance."

"Fuck you."

"If you insist," he chuckled, grabbing her by the ankles. He started to try and pull her to the edge of the bed, but someone grabbed him by the back of his shirt. They tossed Azreth into the wall. Candy opened her eyes to see Castiel standing there, his face twisted by fury. Quickly, he slipped out of his trenchcoat and laid it over Candy's bruised and bare body. By the time Castiel turned around, Azreth was gone.

"What did he do?" Cas demanded to know. His voice was raised and he was obviously angry, but Candy could see a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Candy, tell me what he did to you."

"So much," she started to cry. Cas sat on the bed with her and wrapped her in a hug. After a moment, he picked her up and carried her into the bathroom.

"Let's get you into the shower. Clean you up. I have to leave, are you going to be okay taking a shower alone?" Castiel asked her with concern in his voice. "I'm going after Azreth. Will you be alright?"

"Sure, Cas," she smiled half-heartedly. "I'll be fine. Thank you so much... For saving me."

"I'm sorry this happened to you," Castiel frowned empathetically. "I'm sure Dean will be back soon. He never leaves you alone for long. Just... take a shower and wait for him. If anything else happens, call me again. I'll be listening for you. Don't worry."

"Okay," she sighed as Castiel kissed her forehead and took his leave. Once he was gone, she dropped his trench coat to the floor and stepped into the shower.

Dean downed the rest of the soda that he had gotten out of a vending machine when he walked around the other end of the building. He had finally calmed down and was ready to apologize to Candy. She didn't deserve to be yelled at or left high and dry. After all, it was Sam who made a move on her and not the other way around. Also, Candy told Dean about it, which meant that she wasn't trying to hide anything from him. Dean trusted Candy, more than he ever trusted anyone besides Sam.

When Dean got back to the motel room, the door was wide open. Dean's muscles tensed, and the soda he was holding fell from his grip. He ran into the room, searching for Candy. He didn't see her anywhere, but he could hear the shower running again. It was unusual because when he left, Candy had just gotten out of the shower. Dean pushed open the bathroom door slowly, peering around the corner.

The water was running hot, steaming up the entire room. Candy was laying unconscious in the bottom of the shower. Blood dripped from her forehead and her bottom lip. Dean's stomach knotted inside of him and a lump formed in his throat.

"Candy?" He said her name, but his voice came out as a hoarse whisper. She was so still and pale that Dean wondered if she was even still alive. There were visible bruises forming on her shoulders and upper arms. "Candy? Baby?" He hit his knees beside the tub, then reached in to grab Candy. He pulled her out of the tub and cradled her in his lap. After checking her pulse, he was relieved to discover that she was alive.

Dean lifted her and carried her to the bed that they were going to share. He took his shirt off, and he carefully slid it on over her head. Gently, he tucked her into bed, and with tears streaming down his cheeks, he picked up his phone and called his little brother. Despite everything that had happened, Dean asked Sam for his help. Once he told Sam what he came back to, Sam immediately agreed to meet Dean at the motel.

Candy woke up the next morning. Every muscle in her body ached, especially the ones in her legs. It felt as if she could feel every act of assault lingering in the bruises that Azreth left behind. Even her throat ached from the screaming. Opening her eyes, Candy realized she was in the bed, and that she was wearing Dean's tee shirt that he had on the night before. That meant that Dean had found her. The thought of Dean seeing her like she was made her eyes water.

Candy whimpered and rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. She remembered everything that Azreth did to her. Every single horrible act of violence inflicted on her. She sat up carefully, groaning as her body protested to any sort of movement at all. Her hair was wild, even more than usual, and she could still taste blood on her lip. When her eyes focused, she saw Sam and Dean sitting at a table at the end of the bed. Dean stood when he realized she was awake, and Sam just looked at her sympathetically. Her eyes were starting to tear up again when she saw Dean's face, saw the concern in his eyes.

"Candy," Dean finally spoke. "Candy, how are you feeling?" She shook her head slowly, bringing her hands up to her face. "No," Dean sighed, "don't cry. Candy... Talk to me. What happened?" Her hands fell away from her face, and she shook her head again. Sam finally stood and walked towards Candy. He sat on the bed beside her,

"Who was it? What did he do to you?"

"It was Azreth," she finally spoke. "He came after you left. I tried to shut him out of the bathroom, but he knocked the door back into my face. Then he grabbed me... Started beating me. Kicking... Slapping... I put up as much of a fight as I could, but it didn't stop him..."

"Candy, did he... Did he... You know..." Sam looked down at his lap, trying to find a sensitive way to ask the question. Candy knew what Sam was going to ask her.

"No, he didn't... He tried, but Cas showed up just in time. Gave me his trenchcoat to cover up, and I left it on the bathroom floor when I got into the shower. He had to leave. He went after Azreth, then I remember being in the shower. Then I woke up here," Candy told them. "He's looking for Sam. He won't leave me alone because I won't tell him."

"This happened because you were protecting me?" Sam scoffed. "You should have just told him where I was. I could handle him. You didn't need to do this on your own..."

"I didn't think he would come back for me so soon," Candy laid back down in the bed. "I didn't think any of this would happen. It hurts so much."

"We're going to get that son-of-a-bitch, Candy, don't worry," Dean said through gritted teeth. "I'm so sorry I left you alone. It's all my fault."

"It's not," Candy argued. "He was looking for me. He waited for you to leave. I'm the weakest link... He's after me."

"Just get some rest, Candy," Sam told her, stroking her hair lovingly. "If you need anything, tell me. Or Dean. Whichever one of us is around. Do you think you need to go to the hospital?"

"No, I don't. I'm okay."

"You're not," Dean grumbled. "You've been severely beaten, Candy. You're definitely not okay." He began pacing the room. "Sam, can we have a minute alone?"

"No," Sam said sternly. "You can't. I have a right to be here for Candy. Just like you do. She was mine first."

"Don't do this right now," Candy grumbled. "Sam, just leave us alone for just a minute. Please. Pretty please." Sam left the room without a word, but they could tell he was both frustrated and angry. Dean walked to Candy, then knelt down beside the bed. For a moment, he just stared at her, combing through her hair with his fingers. Then, he leaned forward and kissed her softly. Tears formed at the bottom of his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, baby... I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, Dean. Really."

"It's all my fault. I should've been here... I should have protected you. I was angry, frustrated... About Sam, about Cas, about all of it. I was so jealous when you told me that Sam had kissed you. So jealous and so irritated. I'm sorry I yelled, and I'm sorry I left you. I won't do it again. I'm going to kill the asshole that did this to you. Then, I'll be beside you all the time. Never leaving you alone." It was obvious to Candy that Dean was feeling guilty for leaving her alone the night before. Although it wasn't his fault, Dean always blamed himself when she got hurt.

"I'm alright, Dean. I'll live," she smiled, this time genuinely. "I have you, after all, and that's all I need. I love you. I really do. You and all of your stubborn and hot-headed tendencies."

"I love you, too, Candy. Please don't leave me. For Sam, I mean..."

"I won't." She took a deep breath. "I promise."


End file.
